Oven baked Rosti Potatoes

 

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

I’ve never had much luck making rosti potatoes in a pan, as they never go as crispy as I’d like them to be, so they’re not overly satisfying. But these oven baked ones go really crispy on the outside whilst being soft and fluffy on the inside and they are just so good! This is how good they are: Steve doesn’t really like potatoes and he ate 6, which is the same amount as me and I LOVE potatoes!

 

They do require a fair bit of effort to prepare and 1 hour to cook in the oven, but they really are worth it.

 

1 small onion might not seem like enough, but you don’t need too much as you don’t want the onion flavour to overpower the potatoes. I add garlic powder for a little extra flavour, but this is optional and you can obviously use fresh garlic too.

 

• Makes: 12
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C
• You will need: a 12 hole bun tray, lightly oiled

 

Ingredients:

• 675g (1½lb) potatoes, scrubbed clean (this is roughly 6 medium potatoes)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 50g (2oz) butter, melted
• salt and pepper
• oil for drizzling

 

Directions:

1. Par boil the potatoes for 10 minutes, until they are half cooked. Drain and leave until cool enough to handle.
2. Peel and grate the potatoes coarsely and place in a bowl with the onion, garlic powder and the melted butter. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C.
4. Press the mixture into the prepared bun tray.
5. Drizzle a little oil over each rosti and cook for 1 hour or until golden brown and crispy.
6. Remove from the tin as soon as possible, otherwise they might stick as they cool down.

 

ALTERNATIVE IDEAS:

• Top with cheese and cooked chopped bacon 10 minutes before the end of cooking.
• Add herbs, such as parsley, before pressing the mixture into the tray.

Vegged Out Macaroni Cheese

 

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

Macaroni Cheese is one of those comfort foods that I really love, but I don’t make it very often as it can take a long time to make from scratch – this took me about 1½ hours!  But it was a labour of love that was really worth it, as all the veggies made it really tasty and slightly healthy to offset all that cheese!

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

I actually halved the amount of cheese that the original recipe suggested, as 400g seemed really excessive! The addition of all the veggies adds a lot of flavour, so you really don’t need loads of cheese. I also changed/omitted some of the veggies to suit what I had in the fridge. I also used Panko breadcrumbs instead of fresh, as that is what I had to hand.

 

TASTE TEST:

Steve wasn’t sure if he liked the breadcrumbs, as it reminded him too much of fish pie, which he isn’t keen on. But he said he wouldn’t have known they were breadcrumbs if I hadn’t told him – he thought it was just crispy golden cheese. But I liked the breadcrumbs on top, as they gave the topping a nice contrasting texture. Steve said this was the best macaroni cheese I’ve ever made and he literally licked his plate clean!

 

• Serves: 4
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 6/400°F/200°C
• You will need: a large ovenproof dish, lightly oiled

 

Ingredients:

• 400g macaroni
• 150g streaky bacon, thinly sliced (I used a small packet of pancetta cubes)
• 1 leek, white part only, finely sliced (I used 1 medium onion, finely chopped)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and diced (I used small orange peppers)
• 150g broccoli florets (I omitted this because I couldn’t be bothered to chop it up!)
• 110g frozen peas
• 100g tinned sweetcorn, drained (I used a whole small tin)
• 60g butter
• 60g plain flour
• 600ml cold semi-skimmed milk
• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 400g mixture of mature cheddar, red Gloucester and Cheshire cheeses, grated (I used 200g mixture mature and mild cheddar cheeses)
• 3 Tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs (I used Panko instead)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to Gas mark 6/400°F/200°C.
2. Bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to the pack instructions until al dente (my pack said 13 minutes, so I cooked for 8 minutes). Drain well and run under cold water. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a frying pan cook the bacon/pancetta in ½ Tablespoon olive oil until crisp and golden, then remove from the pan and set aside. Add the sliced leek/onion to the pan without adding any extra fat and cook over a medium heat, until very soft. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened, then throw in the broccoli (if using) and peas. Add a splash of water and cook for 1-2 minutes until the broccoli is still a little crunchy and the peas are just tender. Transfer to the bowl with the macaroni in, mix in the sweetcorn and set aside.
4. Make the cheese sauce: place the butter, flour and cold milk in a saucepan and bring to the boil whisking. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, whisking all the time. Once thickened, cook for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and stir in the mustard and ¾ of the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.
5. Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and vegetable mixture and give everything a good stir, then spoon into a large ovenproof dish. Mix the remaining cheese with the breadcrumbs, sprinkle over the top of the pasta and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and bubbling.

 

COOK’S NOTES:

• The recipe said you can freeze this dish, so I froze half of it without any cheese or breadcrumbs on top. Apparently you can freeze for up to 1 month – we shall see if it tastes just as good once defrosted and reheated! To reheat: bake at Gas mark 6/400°F/200°C for 40-50 minutes.
• This can obviously be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon/pancetta.

 

Chicken Tikka Shashlik

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

I first came across Shashlik when Steve had a Chicken Tikka Shashlik Masala Curry in a curry house a few years ago. It’s not a dish that I’ve seen on any other Indian restaurant menu. This is basically the same thing without the masala sauce.

Shashlik is essentially meat on a stick. Apparently it originally comes from central Asia, but there are versions from Russia, Turkey and Pakistan.
Pieces of lamb or chicken are marinated in spices and either oil and lemon juice or in this case yoghurt. The meat is then threaded onto skewers with pieces of onion, green pepper and tomato and traditionally cooked in a tandoor or over a charcoal grill. I had to settle for under the grill.

The chicken was really nicely cooked and the marinade gave it loads of flavour and kept it moist. The vegetables became quite nice and charred, but Steve said it wasn’t quite the same as in the restaurant. I think the grill struggled to get hot enough.

Overall, Shashlik is a healthier way to have curry as it’s not laden with lots of cream or ghee, plus it’s grilled. I served it with rice, but I think it would actually be much better stuffed into a soft naan bread and slathered with loads of mayonnaise. Hey, I never said I was on a diet!

• Serves: 2
• You will need: 8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs, deboned and cut into large chunks
• 2 Tablespoons curry paste (I used Korma)
• 2 Tablespoons natural yoghurt
• ½ onion, cut into wedges and layers separated
• ½ green pepper, cut into chunks
• 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix the chicken, curry paste and yoghurt. Cover tightly (unless you want to stink out your whole fridge) and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours to marinate.
2. Preheat your grill to high.
3. Thread pieces of chicken, onion, pepper and tomato onto your skewers, leaving a gap at the end so you can turn them.
4. Cover a baking tray with foil (this will save on washing up) and place your kebabs on the tray and season with a little salt and pepper.
5. Cook under the grill for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are nicely charred.

COOK’S NOTES:

• If using lamb or chicken breast instead of thighs, then they should only take about 10-12 minutes to cook.

Lancashire Hotpot

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

This is such a simple dish with few ingredients, but it tastes absolutely amazing. The lamb is meltingly tender and the carrots and onions give a lovely sweetness to the gravy. I can’t take the credit for the original recipe as it’s James Martins’, but I have made it a bit healthier by not using dripping and I left out the kidneys as I don’t like them! The recipe I’ve written is basically half the original, as I only wanted to cook for 2 people.

I’ve made this a couple of times and I really recommend using a mandolin slicer to cut the potatoes so that they are really thin and cook evenly.

I started off the cooking in a large saucepan and then transferred everything to an ovenproof dish, but ideally you want to use a flameproof casserole dish to retain all the flavours.

• Serves: 2
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 3/325°F/170°C
• You will need: a shallow flame & ovenproof dish

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 450g stewing lamb, cut into large chunks (I used shoulder)
• 1 medium onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 Tablespoon plain flour
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 250ml lamb or chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 400g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 25g melted butter

Directions:

1. Heat oven to Gas mark 3/325°F/170°C. Heat the tablespoon of oil in a flameproof casserole dish or in a large saucepan. Add the lamb and brown (if cooking a large amount then do this in batches), then put onto a plate and set aside.
2. Fry the onions and carrots in the pan with until golden. Add some salt and pepper at this point. Sprinkle over the flour, allow to cook for a couple of mins, shake over the Worcestershire sauce, pour in the stock, then bring to the boil. Stir in the lamb and bay leaf, then turn off the heat. If you’ve used a saucepan then put the stew mixture into an ovenproof dish, then arrange the sliced potatoes on top of the meat, then drizzle with the melted butter. Cover, then place in the oven for about 1½ hrs until the potatoes are cooked.
3. Remove the lid, brush the potatoes with a little more melted butter, then turn the oven up to maximum heat to brown the potatoes (could take up to 30 mins), or finish under the grill for 5-8 mins until brown.

Toad in the hole

FIRST ATTEMPT - MUNCH RATING: 3/5

I’ve never been a fan of toad in the hole, as I don’t really like that kind of batter, hence why I don’t like Yorkshire Puddings either. But Steve likes it so I thought I’d treat him to a British classic!

I used the recipe on the BBC Good Food website. I only used 4 sausages as I was only cooking for 2 people, but I made up the whole amount of batter as per the recipe as Steve loves the batter. But he likes it stodgy, so I used a smaller dish than the recipe called for so it would be thicker. This was a big mistake as it was all soggy and undercooked at the bottom and it was pretty inedible. The top part was lovely and crispy though and even I enjoyed eating it, so I would make this recipe again as it was really easy, but next time I will use the correct size dish (see below).

For the onion gravy that goes with it, I used 3 leeks instead as I had them in the fridge and it was still pretty tasty.

• Serves: 4
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 7/425°F/220°C
• You will need: a 20cm x 30cm shallow roasting tin

Ingredients:

• 100g plain flour
• ½ tsp English mustard powder (I used Dijon mustard instead)
• 1 egg
• 300ml milk
• 3 thyme sprigs, leaves only (I left this out as I used Cumberland sausages)
• 8 plain pork sausages (use 2 per person)
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 onions, peeled and sliced
• 1 tsp soft brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon plain flour
• 500ml beef stock

Directions:

1. Make the batter: Heat oven to Gas mark 7/425°F/220°C. Tip flour into the large mixing bowl and stir in the mustard powder with a good pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre, crack in the egg, then pour in a dribble of milk. Stir with a wooden spoon, gradually incorporating some of the flour, until you have a smooth batter in the well. Now add a bit more milk and continue stirring until all the milk and flour has been mixed together.
2. The batter is ready: You should now have a smooth, lump-free batter that is the consistency of double cream. Tip it back into the jug you measured your milk in, for easier pouring later on, then stir in the thyme. Use scissors to snip the links between your sausages, then drop them into a 20 x 30cm roasting tin. Add 1 tbsp of the oil, tossing the sausages in it to thoroughly coat the base of the tin, then roast in the oven for 15 mins (mine took more like 25 mins to cook!).
3. Cook the batter: Take the hot tray from the oven, then quickly pour in the batter - it should sizzle and bubble a little when it first hits the hot fat. Put it back into the oven, then bake for 40 mins until the batter is cooked through, well risen and crisp. If you poke the tip of a knife into the batter in the middle of the tray it should be set, not sticky or runny.
4. Make the gravy: Soften the onions with the remaining oil in a large nonstick frying pan for about 20 mins, stirring often, until they are golden brown. Sprinkle in the sugar for the final 5 mins. Add the spoonful of flour, then cook, constantly stirring, for 2 mins, so it coats the onions and there is no dry flour left. Gradually pour in the stock, stirring well to make a smooth sauce. Bubble for 4-5 mins to thicken, then season. Cut the toad in the hole into large wedges and serve with the gravy spooned over. 

SECOND ATTEMPT  – MUNCH RATING: 4/5

This is my second attempt and it worked much better. I used the correct sized dish so the batter was a lot more crispy and less stodgy, however there were still some soggy bits which Steve happily ate! I actually really enjoyed eating this, so it will become one of my staple recipes.

However, I used a ceramic dish as we didn’t have a roasting tin that was the right size. Quite a lot got stuck to the bottom of the dish. A roasting tin would give a much better result as it would conduct the heat much better, so I might have to buy one just for Toad in the hole! Actually, I think my Swiss roll tin might be the right size, if a little shallow, but it’s worth a try!

Oh and I made the gravy with onions and it was SO much nicer! The onions caramelized and were so much sweeter than the leeks.

Gordon Ramsay's Shepherds Pie

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

This is Gordon Ramsay’s recipe and even though I can’t stand him, I decided to try his recipe as I’d only heard good things about it. The meaty filling was very tasty due to the red wine, but we thought there wasn’t enough of it compared to the amount of potato, although I didn’t really mind because I love potatoes!

I thought it was strange that the mash didn’t have milk added to it, but egg yolks instead. Also, the ingredients stated 50g butter and olive oil, but they weren’t included in the method, so I just added the butter to the mash anyway because good mash NEEDS butter! I didn’t have any parmesan so I just used mature cheddar cheese instead and it was still pretty tasty.

I would use this recipe again for the filling, but next time I’ll make the mash my usual way by adding milk and leave out the egg yolks.

• Serves: 4
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C
• You will need: a large frying pan, a large ovenproof dish

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 500g minced lean lamb
• 1 large onion, finely grated
• 1 large carrot, finely grated
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• Handful of thyme sprigs, leaves picked
• 1 sprig of rosemary, needles chopped
• 250ml red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 300ml chicken stock
• 1kg Desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 50g butter
• 2 egg yolks
• Parmesan, for grating (I used mature cheddar cheese)
• Olive oil (er, optional?)
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan until hot. Season the mince and fry in the oil over moderate to high heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir the onions and carrot into the mince then grate the garlic in as well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and herbs and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the red wine and reduce until almost completely evaporated. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened.
3. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain then return to the hot pan over low heat to dry out briefly. Pass them through a potato ricer then beat in the egg yolks and butter, followed by about 2 tbsp grated Parmesan. Check for seasoning.
4. Spoon the mince into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Using a large spoon, layer the mashed potato generously on top of the mince, starting from the outside and working your way into the middle. Grate some extra Parmesan over and season. Fluff up the mash potato with a fork to make rough peaks. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.

* The dish I used was one of my new Pyrex Pyroflam casserole dishes. I used the 1 litre one, which measures 6.8cm deep x 16cm diameter, as I wanted to make a pie that served 2 people so I filled it with half the mince and half the mash. With the other half I refilled the dish after we’d eaten and put it in the freezer for another time.

I defrosted the frozen shepherd’s pie and then reheated it in the oven at Gas 6 for about 40 minutes. I had some leftover hollandaise sauce that I’d made and I thought it would be a good idea to mix it in with the mashed potato topping, because the sauce is just butter and egg yolks. Steve wasn’t keen on the idea, so I scraped off only half the potato topping and mixed it with a generous Tablespoon of the sauce. It looked pretty disgusting after I’d mixed it with the potato and then spread it back onto the mince mixture, but I covered all the potato with some mature cheddar and after 40 minutes in the oven it looked amazing! The half that had the hollandaise sauce in had turned a lovely golden brown and it was a lot tastier than the half that didn’t have the sauce added. I love it when a plan comes together! I have to say, that Steve and I both thought the shepherds pie tasted better reheated, as if the flavours had developed more over time.

Check out my hollandaise sauce recipe here.

Roast honey and cumin chicken

MUNCH RATING: 1/5

This recipe is from one of those cards you can pick up free from Waitrose. I was really looking forward to making it as I liked the sound of the honey and cumin. The photo on the card made the chicken and potatoes look really crispy and caramelised, so I thought it would be a really tasty dish. It’s also a one-pot dinner, so I thought it would be quick and easy. But it didn’t quite turn out that way!

Basically the liquid that you have to add doesn’t get absorbed by the potatoes or evaporate, so they don’t get nice and crispy. So after the recommended cooking time I drained off the liquid, took the chicken out of the oven to stop it overcooking and then put the potatoes back in the oven at top whack to crisp up a bit. I left them in for 30 minutes as I couldn’t wait any longer! I started cooking at 5.45pm and it wasn’t ready until 7.30pm – the recipe says it only takes 50-60 minutes!

So the method for this recipe was rubbish and to be honest, it was pretty bland too. The honey and cumin was a nice combination, but it lacked punch. Steve said he preferred my garlic roast chicken which is just something I throw together!

I found the recipe on the Waitrose website and it seems everyone else thought this recipe was fantastic! I’m not sure what they’re doing differently, but this isn’t a recipe I’ll be making again!

• Serves: 4
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 7/425°F/220°C
• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cooking time: 50 minutes to 1 hour (yeah right!)

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 4 chicken legs or thighs, scored
• 700g new potatoes, quartered
• 2 small red onions, quarter (I only had a brown onion)

Directions:

1. Mix together the oil, honey, cumin, garlic and vinegar with seasoning. Pour over the chicken pieces and leave to marinate for 15 minutes (longer if you have time). Whilst the chicken is marinating, preheat the oven to 220ºC, gas mark 7
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade, pour the marinade into a large roasting tin and add the potatoes and onions so that the pieces are in a single layer without much space between them. Pour over 150ml cold water and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
3. Add the chicken pieces and toss in the juices. Return to the oven for 35–40 minutes, basting regularly, until the chicken is cooked through, and there is no pink meat. Serve with watercress, rocket and spinach salad or steamed green beans.

Yasai korroke (Japanese vegetable cakes)

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

This is a recipe from the Wagamama cookbook which I've made before but not actually tried in the restaurant.

In San Francisco it's easy to find ingredients like Panko Breadcrumbs, I got mine in Safeway so I didn't have to make a special trip to Japantown for them.

• Makes: 6 cakes

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• salt and white pepper
• 25g (1oz) frozen peas
• 25g (1oz) canned sweetcorn, drained
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped (or use spring onion and skip step 4)
• 1 red chilli, trimmed and finely chopped (or some chilli flakes
• 3-4 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 50g (2oz) panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Put the potato and sweet potato in a pan of boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes until tender. Add the peas for the last 2 minutes.
2. Drain, return to the pan, then crush slightly with a wooden spoon to create a lumpy mash.
3. Stir in the sweetcorn.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and chilli over a low heat for 6-8 minutes until soft.
5. Combine the onion and chilli with the mash in a large bowl, season and mix evenly.
6. Allow to cool slightly, then divide into 6 equal portions and shape into flat cakes.
7. Place the flour in a bowl, the beaten egg in another and the breadcrumbs in a third.
8. Dip each cake first into the flour, then in the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs.
9. Fill a pan two-thirds full with oil and heat to 180C/350F or until a cube of bread added to the oil browns in 30 seconds.
10. Deep fry the cakes for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crisp, then drain on kitchen paper. Alternatively you can shallow fry them, carefully turning them on all sides until golden brown - takes a bit longer but just as tasty!